Murrieta Man Accused Of Slashing Neighbor With Sword Ordered To Undergo Psych Evaluation

MURRIETA, CA — More than a week after a 51-year-old Murrieta man was arrested on suspicion of slashing his neighbor with a sword, a judge Friday ordered psychiatric examinations based on concerns about the defendant's mental competency.

Michael John Keen was taken into custody last week after a three-hour standoff with SWAT and police officers from the Murrieta Police Department while he was barricaded in his apartment.

Keen faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, vandalism and multiple probation violations.

Although arraignment was set four different times over the past week, defense attorneys requested delays on each occasion. On Friday morning, Keen’s public defender instead filed a motion requesting a mental health evaluation.

Around 11:08 a.m. on Sept. 11, the department said it received a 911 call regarding an assault with a deadly weapon. Upon arrival at the Madison Park Condominiums, they found a man with non-life-threatening laceration wounds to the face and hand.

The victim told police that Keen, who lives across from him, had swung a sword at him during an argument. He said Keen sliced him across the face and hand before the victim was able to flee to a nearby residence to get help, police said.

Arriving paramedics provided medical aid to the victim, who was taken to a local hospital. There, he required sutures for his injuries and was released the same day.

Back at the scene, the suspect had reportedly barricaded the doors and windows of his home. Police created a perimeter around the area and attempted to de-escalate the situation by communicating with the Keen using a loudspeaker, police said.

When that failed, the Southwest Cities SWAT Team was called in to take over negotiations with the suspect. After hours, the team devised a plan to enter the suspect's apartment. Once inside, the suspect, identified as Keen, was taken into custody for felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and mayhem, the department said.

No injuries to the suspect or officers were reported.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Keen's apartment, where the sword was recovered.

Meanwhile, residents remained in the dark about the nature of the investigation for nearly 24 hours as they were told to avoid the area and a stretch of Los Alamos Road remained closed throughout the day.

At 2:12 p.m., the Murrieta Police Department confirmed that the investigation involved a SWAT team and that the incident was contained to a single apartment unit, according to a social media post made by the department.

By 3:43 p.m., police said they had Keen in custody.

Court records showed that Keen has prior convictions in Riverside County for making criminal threats and violating a restraining order. He additionally has separate convictions in another jurisdiction that weren't listed.